Diseases of aging are a leading cause of functional limitation among older adults worldwide and will continue to ascend in global health importance as populations continue to age and effective cures remain elusive. C D Mathers and D Loncar (2006) Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS Med, 3(11), e442. A leading class of aging diseases is neurological disorders. A recent study estimated that over 2.5 million Americans suffered from Alzheimer's disease (AD), and nearly 4 million had that and other forms of dementia in 2002. Plassman et al. (2007) Prevalence of Dementia in the United States: The Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study. Neuroepidemiology, 29, 125-132. Given expected increases in the size of the older adult population those numbers are expected to increase dramatically by 2050. Alzheimer's Association. (2009) Alzheimer's disease facts and figures. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 5(3).
Many diseases of aging have long asymptomatic incubation periods followed by a progression into disability and poor health with concomitant large and continual financial costs to the individual, families, insurance companies, and the healthcare system. Further, particularly for the neurological and/or neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases, and even cardiovascular diseases, the standard of care is palliative at best. Therefore, new treatments for neurological and/or neurodegenerative and/or cardiovascular disorders are needed.